Andy some good advice, esp with looking at the older targas (many of which have been completely refitted by now)

That T34 is pretty surely a scam 70k for a 2005 T34. Several ppl re-advertised my boat when she was for sale, pinching the photos / desc in various foreign languages for prices down to EU40k, when I emailed as a customer they give the usual scam, they are working in a different country cant use their boat, you pay for shipping upfront etc.

Good call Ajay,
Recognised that all boats can have potential problems with regard to ownership etc. but you never can tell, especially in an economic downturn, this was such the case with our own, only ours was in the UK and took zero cost investigating the previous owners, bills and receipts etc.

?5-8K in cosmetic makeovers can transform an older boat, machinery is always the most important though, so if you find a good one that's mechanically and structurally sound but requires TLC with regards to cosmetics then if the price is right your on to a winner IMHO.

Start out with a fresh interior (of your choice), professional compound back to a high gloss shine, change decals etc. and still have a very desirable boat that's fresh and well ahead of the competition for more or less the same cost as the untouched equivalents.
Resale chances will improve (unless you go with a bazaar scheme) , ownership will be like it's a new boat etc. etc..

If I could afford it then the T37 in Weymouth would be my starting point.

Another caution you may need to take when viewing older boats is regarding viewing with your other half , I know from experience that just like when viewing houses, they won't often look beyond the colour of the curtains and upholstery, from a sellers point, when presenting a fresh, refurbished example, if you can sell it to the partner your on to a winner, no mater how old the boat.

One thing the owner did say that he has lost the engine hrs, put new dials in - tried to warm up old dials to read but didn't work so the yard just changed them. He reckons the engines have done about 800 hrs which seemed reasonable for 12 yr boat. Can you lose the hrs?
Also supercharger not kicking in on starboard engine, he says he has changed the belts and they are all tentioned but will have to get yard to sort before i survey.

any advice on getting rid of the scratches on the blue hull - owner says will go to white if you get carried away on the t-cut!

If the engines are KAD32 they have compressors that kick in at 1600RPM and drop out at 2600RMP then the turbos take over to Max 3800RPM
Take it, its the compressors that are not working correctly, check belt tensions these are critical, oil levels plus magnetic clutch, centre bolts have been known to come out.

The gel coat on Fairlines are good and can take a good cutback, try Meguiars gelcoat restorer unless it as been abused prior .

If you need a good mobile enginner in the area let me know, I have a contact number

The hour meter displays tend to stop working after a few years in marine environment. They count but stop displaying usually in summer they dry out the moisture and start displaying again (remember they are always counting) When you replace with new you really loose the ability to prove the hours unless you keep service receipts with hours logged.

If the last owner guesses the hours it wouldnt be enough for me, get the surveyor to check the engines maybe also an oil analysis (they are cheap and very useful to tell engine state as long as the oil hasnt been changed recently) Maybe also phone a volvo penta dealer to check if theres any way to check the hours if stored in the engine (some engines store the hours internally but I think kad32s might not)

If the supercharger doesnt kick in its most likely the supercharger itself (usually the clutch) thats duff or the control unit. You are right to insist this is done before seatrial otherwise you wont be able to test too much.